The Gorda Banks & Cabo San Lucas
Dawn found the Sea Lion gliding across an oily-calm ocean with not a breath of wind and only a faint, long swell gently rolling towards us from the vast expanse of the Pacific. We were approaching the southern tip of the Baja peninsula and the prime whale-watching area of the Gorda Banks. The warm, shallow waters of the bank are a place where humpback whales gather to find mates and breed.
Our search began as soon as the sun was above the horizon, and it was not long before the first blows were spotted in the distance. Plates of French toast were hurriedly finished as we repeated the now-familiar routine of grabbing our cameras and binoculars and rushing to the foredeck to see what was ahead of the ship. We were greeted by a succession of humpback whales and some wonderful views just off the bow as their black bodies broke the surface of the mirror-like ocean.
The show was stolen though, by the arrival of a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Racing from all directions towards us, the dolphins came to ride the bow of the Sea Lion. Bottlenose dolphins are well known for their active behavior and are frequently seen bow-riding ahead of ships or even large whales. The rail was packed solid as everyone took a turn to peer over at the dolphins below, and it was even possible to hear the whistles and clicks of the animals below who sounded almost as excited as we were.
A different perspective on the dolphins was on display one deck below using one of the newest underwater exploration tools aboard the Sea Lion. Inspired by Jacques Cousteau’s research vessel Calypso, which had a glass observation chamber below the waterline of her bow from which it was possible to watch dolphins underwater, the Sea Lion and Sea Bird have a modern version of this in the form of our Bow-Cam. This underwater camera is mounted on the hull of the ship just below the bow and can be controlled remotely to display a live image on large monitors in the lounge.
Those who were able to tear themselves from the show up above for long enough to dash below, were treated to amazing views of the bow-riding from beneath, as the dolphins surfed the pressure wave created by our vessels movement through the water. Even through we were traveling at 10-knots, the dolphins hardly needed to move their tails, effortlessly gliding on the invisible wave our hull was pushing ahead of us.
At lunchtime we arrived in the bustling harbor of Cabo San Lucas, jumping-off point for various afternoon activities including a birding walk along a nearby estuary, snorkeling, and a visit to the neighboring town of San Jose del Cabo. Sailing from this tourist mecca at sunset, we paused at Land’s End Rocks, the southernmost point of the Baja peninsula. Here, with cocktails in hand, we watched a spectacular sunset, complete with a dazzling green flash as the blazing ball of the sun dropped slowly into the Pacific Ocean.
Dawn found the Sea Lion gliding across an oily-calm ocean with not a breath of wind and only a faint, long swell gently rolling towards us from the vast expanse of the Pacific. We were approaching the southern tip of the Baja peninsula and the prime whale-watching area of the Gorda Banks. The warm, shallow waters of the bank are a place where humpback whales gather to find mates and breed.
Our search began as soon as the sun was above the horizon, and it was not long before the first blows were spotted in the distance. Plates of French toast were hurriedly finished as we repeated the now-familiar routine of grabbing our cameras and binoculars and rushing to the foredeck to see what was ahead of the ship. We were greeted by a succession of humpback whales and some wonderful views just off the bow as their black bodies broke the surface of the mirror-like ocean.
The show was stolen though, by the arrival of a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Racing from all directions towards us, the dolphins came to ride the bow of the Sea Lion. Bottlenose dolphins are well known for their active behavior and are frequently seen bow-riding ahead of ships or even large whales. The rail was packed solid as everyone took a turn to peer over at the dolphins below, and it was even possible to hear the whistles and clicks of the animals below who sounded almost as excited as we were.
A different perspective on the dolphins was on display one deck below using one of the newest underwater exploration tools aboard the Sea Lion. Inspired by Jacques Cousteau’s research vessel Calypso, which had a glass observation chamber below the waterline of her bow from which it was possible to watch dolphins underwater, the Sea Lion and Sea Bird have a modern version of this in the form of our Bow-Cam. This underwater camera is mounted on the hull of the ship just below the bow and can be controlled remotely to display a live image on large monitors in the lounge.
Those who were able to tear themselves from the show up above for long enough to dash below, were treated to amazing views of the bow-riding from beneath, as the dolphins surfed the pressure wave created by our vessels movement through the water. Even through we were traveling at 10-knots, the dolphins hardly needed to move their tails, effortlessly gliding on the invisible wave our hull was pushing ahead of us.
At lunchtime we arrived in the bustling harbor of Cabo San Lucas, jumping-off point for various afternoon activities including a birding walk along a nearby estuary, snorkeling, and a visit to the neighboring town of San Jose del Cabo. Sailing from this tourist mecca at sunset, we paused at Land’s End Rocks, the southernmost point of the Baja peninsula. Here, with cocktails in hand, we watched a spectacular sunset, complete with a dazzling green flash as the blazing ball of the sun dropped slowly into the Pacific Ocean.
